Improvement in piano attachments



2 'Sh-eets--Sheett A. STEINWAY.

Piano Attachments. 910,164,054, Patented1une1,1875.

wmwsses. A 1414021600.

THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOTOLITH.39&41PARK PLACE,N.Y.

v 2Sheets--Sheet2. A, STVEINWAY.

Piana Attachments.

N0, 164,054, Patentedjune1,875.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @Erica ALBERT STElNAY, F NEWT YORK, N. Y,

IMPROVEMENT IN PlN@ ATTHMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1514,05@ dated June l,1875; application filed May 15, m75.

To all whomt may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT STErNw/lv, of the city, county, and State ot'New York, have invented a new and Improved Attachment to PianonFortes,which invention is fully set forth in the following speeication,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l.represents a transverse vertical sec tion when the action is at rest.Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 isa transverse verticalsection when one of the dampers is sustained by my attachment.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of piano-forteattachments which l have described in Letters Patent No. 156,388,granted to me October 27, 1874, and which consists, essentially, of amovable frame, sup porting a wire, cord, or strip of iiexible or rigidmaterial running parallel to the ends of the damper-levers, incombination with a pedal which serves to operate said frame, so thatwhen one or more dampershave been raised, and the frame is caused tomove in the proper direction, said damper or dampers are caught andupheld by the wire or strip of the frame after the corresponding key orkeys have returned to their position of rest.

My present improvement consists in a rockshait, which is mounted inbrackets secured to the frame carrying the damper-levers of apiano-forte, and from whichr extend two or more arms, which support acord, wire, or strip of flexible or rigid material, in combination withhooks or noses secured in the damper-levers, in such a position thatwhen one of the damper-levers is raised by the action of thecorresponding key, and the rock-shaft is turned in the proper direction,the cord, wire, or strip supported by the arms of said rockshait catchesin the hook of said damper-lever, and holds the damper-lever up from itsstring after the appropriate key has returned to its position of rest.One or more of the damperlevers and dampers can be held up by the cord,wire, or strip, and while this is done the performer is enabled to playwith one or both hands, as may be desirable. A pedal provided for thispurpose serves to impart to the roekshaft the required motion, while theordinary loud pedal acts on the damper frame, and

serves to raise all the dampcrs contained in said frame from theirstrings independent of the rock-shaft and of the cord, wire, or stripconnected to the same,

In the drawing, the letters A A designate the keys of a piano-forte,which act on the hammers B B by any suitable intermediate action, whilethe inner end of each orP said keys, when such key is depressed, acts ona rod, a, the upper end of which is situated beneath the end of theappropriate damper-lever C, which carries the damper-head Dfso thatwhen, by the action of a key, one ofthe strings is struck, thecorresponding damper is lifted up from said string, and the stringcontinues to vibrate for some time, until the key is released and thedamper permitted to fall back. rlhe sev eral damper-levers are containedin the damper-frame E, from which extends a lever, F, that rests upon arod, G, and this rod connects by any suitable intermediate mechanismwith the ordinary loud pedal, so that by pressing on said pedal thedamper-frame is caused to swing up, and all the dampers contained insaid frame are raised from their strings. 0n the damper-frame E aresecured brackets or journal-boxes b, which form the bearings for arock-shaft, c, and from this rock-shaft ex` tends a lever, d, thebifurcated end of which catches between the two collars secured on avertical rod, H, that extends down through the bottom of the case ofthepiano-forte, and is exposed to the action oi' a separate pedal, which lgenerally arrange in the lyre between the two pedals usually employed ina pianoforte. The weight of the rod H retains the rock-shaft c in theposition shown in Fig. l, and, if desired, this weight may be assistedby a spring. From said rock-shaft extend two or more arms, c, whichsupport a cord, wire, or strip, f, of iiexible or rigid material, and inthe dam per-levers C are secured hooks g, which are so situated thatWhen the rock-shaft c is in its normal position, and one or more of thedamper-levers are raised by the action of the appropriate keys, the hookor hooks ofthe damper or dampers thus raised will clear the cord, wire,or'strip f,- but if one of the dampers is raised from its string by theaction of its key, and the rock-shaft cis turned by stepping on thepedal actuating the rod H, the

cord, wire, or strip j' catches beneath the hook oi' the damper-leverwhich had been raised, and the damper is upheld after the correspondingkey has been permitted to return to its position of rest. One or moredampers can thus be upheld by the cord, wire, or strip f, and thecorresponding strings can be permitted to continue theirlvibrations,while the performer is at liberty to play with one or both hands. Themotion of the rock-shaft c is so adjusted that when one or more of thedampers have been caught by the cord, wire, or strip f, the hooks of theremaining damperlevers, when said levers are raised bythe action oftheir keys, will not come in contact with said cord, wire, or strip. Atthe same time, by stepping on the loud pedal, all the dampers containedin the frame E can be elevated from their strings.

B y this arrangement my attachment can be easily applied to the upperdamper-levers of a piano-forte.

I disclaim distinctly the combination of a pedal or equivalent deviceand the damper of a piano with a swinging bar or intermediate mechanismto uphold the dampers, so that while the pedal is pressed only thosedampers are upheld which correspond with the keys pressed by theperformer, since such combination of parts is already well known, and Ifurther disclaim everything shown and dcseribed in my Patent No.156,388.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The rock-shaft c, mounted on the damperframe E, and provided with armswhich support a cord, wire, or strip of flexible or rigid material, incombination with hooks g, secured in the damper-levers C, and with apedal which serves to impart to said rock-shaft the required motion,when said parts are constructed and arranged substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 12th day of May, 1875.

ALBERT sTErNwAY. lL. s]

Witnesses:

W. Hamm, E. F. KASTENHUBER.

